Chapter 18

I found this chapter to be really interesting. I’ve always really liked space and all that it entailed. I completely agree with all that the author said. It really is amazing how a man with binoculars or a vintage, poorly-constructed tool can discover phenomenons that change the way we look at the universe around us.

I, too, have always felt a connection to space. It’s just so amazing to think of what a small entity we are in the big scheme of things. Here on Earth, especially in America, we often let our lives get away from us and just feel like everything is so important. But taking a step back and looking into the sky and the stars and the planets, you see what a small piece of the universe we really are. And he’s also right in saying that that’s really just the beginning.

The thing that really stuck out to me in this chapter was the constant referral to the many scientists in astronomy. I knew a bit about Hubble, as well as rainbows and other astronomical discoveries in the text. However, this went much farther than I had ever imagined. I just can’t put into words how astounding it is to me that these scientists learned more back in early science with minimal equipment than scientists can now with all of the technology at their fingertips. It really just goes to show how brilliant they were. And what is even more amazing is that they really stood their ground in their discoveries. Even though people ridiculed and ultimately tarnished their reputations, they stood their ground until the day they died. Their merit and brains are really incomparable to anything we see today.

I just really feel like our universe is one of the most amazing things one can learn about. The thought of endless space and energy is just ridiculous. We are just a miniscule part of what our universe really entails. I think that this chapter really represented that well.